Enagement and motivation are linked. (Reeve, 2012) As teachers, we can observe engagement to the degree that we observe our students' participation in learning activities. Harder to observe is a student's motivation. That is, what internal needs, desires, etc. compel them to engage? As researchers have found (Stefanou, et al. 2004) and Daniel Pink popularized in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2011), autonomy is a key component of motivation, and hence engagement.
So asked another way, "How do teachers promote autonomy in their lessons? Does innovation play a part in this?" This is what I set out to discover. A quick search of the resources found on Edutopia.com led me to an interesting article by Mirjam Schoning entitled "Children in Charge: Self-Directed Learning Programs" (2015). In it, she describes several innovative self-directed learning programs around the world and seek to answer this very question for themselves. For example, Villa Monte is a government supported school in Switzerland that has no teachers, exams, or report cards. Students arrive each day and decide if, when and what to learn each day. Graduates of the school reported high levels of satisfaction, and only a small gap in academic preparedness, which was quickly made up. While the Villa Monte model obviously won't work in a traditional public school classroom, it does suggest that we can trust students to pursue learning even when not under our watchful eye, when given the opportunity to choose their own path and process.
In my own classroom, I promote student autonomy in a variety of ways. Each major unit of study (multiplication and division, map skills, etc.) is attached to a "Quest". Quests can take a variety of forms, but each provide students with a challenging problem to solve and often a tangible product in the end. For example, the first Quest of the school year asks students to figure out how to triple the ingredients in a muffin recipe in order for it to make enough muffins for the entire classroom. Students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to solve the problem using any means necessary (within reason). They must have their solutions verified by others first, then by me. If enough successful solutions are offered, students then get to bake (and eat) the muffins following their new recipe. I stand back during "Quest Time", only providing students with emotional support and conflict resolution strategies when needed. By far, Quest Time is my students favorite time of the day, and mine too.
Pink, D. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.
Reeve, J. (2012). A self-determination theory perspective on student engagement. In S. L. Christenson, A. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (Chpt. 7, pp. 149-172). New York: Springer.
Shoning, M. (2015, April 8). Edutopia. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
Stefanou, C. R., Perencevich, K. C., DiCintio, M., & Turner, J. C. (2004). Supporting autonomy in the classroom: Ways teachers encourage student decision making and ownership. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 97-110.
So asked another way, "How do teachers promote autonomy in their lessons? Does innovation play a part in this?" This is what I set out to discover. A quick search of the resources found on Edutopia.com led me to an interesting article by Mirjam Schoning entitled "Children in Charge: Self-Directed Learning Programs" (2015). In it, she describes several innovative self-directed learning programs around the world and seek to answer this very question for themselves. For example, Villa Monte is a government supported school in Switzerland that has no teachers, exams, or report cards. Students arrive each day and decide if, when and what to learn each day. Graduates of the school reported high levels of satisfaction, and only a small gap in academic preparedness, which was quickly made up. While the Villa Monte model obviously won't work in a traditional public school classroom, it does suggest that we can trust students to pursue learning even when not under our watchful eye, when given the opportunity to choose their own path and process.
In my own classroom, I promote student autonomy in a variety of ways. Each major unit of study (multiplication and division, map skills, etc.) is attached to a "Quest". Quests can take a variety of forms, but each provide students with a challenging problem to solve and often a tangible product in the end. For example, the first Quest of the school year asks students to figure out how to triple the ingredients in a muffin recipe in order for it to make enough muffins for the entire classroom. Students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to solve the problem using any means necessary (within reason). They must have their solutions verified by others first, then by me. If enough successful solutions are offered, students then get to bake (and eat) the muffins following their new recipe. I stand back during "Quest Time", only providing students with emotional support and conflict resolution strategies when needed. By far, Quest Time is my students favorite time of the day, and mine too.
Pink, D. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.
Reeve, J. (2012). A self-determination theory perspective on student engagement. In S. L. Christenson, A. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (Chpt. 7, pp. 149-172). New York: Springer.
Shoning, M. (2015, April 8). Edutopia. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
Stefanou, C. R., Perencevich, K. C., DiCintio, M., & Turner, J. C. (2004). Supporting autonomy in the classroom: Ways teachers encourage student decision making and ownership. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 97-110.